Grip tester



May 20, 1.930.

Filed March 10, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 20, 1930.

w. K. EDWARDS GRIP TESTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, 1928 Patented 'May 20, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE WILLIAM K. EDWARDS OF BIG SPRING,TEXAS GRIP TESTER disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent 1,640,030,,

issued to me on August 23, 1927 and the present invention is directed to certain improvements in the machine of said patent.

An important feature of the invention is found in a construction whereby uponthe insertion of a coin of suitable denomination, and thereafter the application of force to the gripping members, the coin becomes an operative member of the machine, necessary to unlock the operative parts thereof. thus ing drawings.

causing the coin to become an instrumental factor in the release of the moving parts of the machine, the mechanism is rendered positive, and the force 0f gravity is not depended upon in'the performance of the unlocking operation. The mechanism in question is, by reason of its positive action, incapable of being fraudulently operated by the insertion of objects thereinyas' is possible with a gravity operated machine. The foregoing, and other important features of the invention, includ-' ing improved combinations of elements and details of construction will be best under" stood from the following description, when considered in connection In the drawings which illustrate a preferred form of the invention;

Fig.1 is a side elevation of the mechanism as disclosed by a verticalsection through the enclosing casing; I

' Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View; v

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with the casing omitted, and the locking mechanism shown open as the machine is being operated; I f' l w 1 Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow; and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5'5, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

The mechanism of the machine is enclosed with the accompany-.

in a casing 1 which in practice is provided with one or more removable panels, locked to.

the casing, but removable to obtain access to v the mechanism. A front plate 4 of the easing is provided with two perforations through which extend the inner ends of tubular members, 8, said ends of the members 8 also extending through perforations in the base plate 5 of a strong metal frame 5, which latter sustains the mechanism within the casing. Clamping nuts 9 are in threaded .engagement with the ends of the tubular mem bers 8,. and said members are provided, exteriorly of the plate 4, with annular enlargements or shoulders 8. By screwing the nuts 9 upon the thread-ed ends of the tubular members 8, accordingly, the several parts referred to, namely, tubular members 8 and The inner ends of the rods 14 are provided with screw threads to receive nuts 17 which serve to clampthe plate 16 againstshoulders formed near the inner extremities of the rods.

The inner end of the frame 5 is perforated to receive a rod 22 which extends forwardly, passing through a hole in the plate 16. Said rod is surrounded by a strong spiral spring 18, confined between the rear end portion of the" frame and the plate 16 and so that rearward movement of said plate caused'bygripping the handles 10 and 12 is resisted by the spring 18. A suitable registering device 44, comprising a dial having a pointer moving over a scale thereon which is calibrated to denotefin pounds the amount of gripping-pressure ex-- erted on the handles, is provided as usual in machines of thisclass. The operation of the pointer on the dial to denote the amount of gripping force exerted is effected through therplate 16 as the latter is'caused to move operation bya lever48 having a downwardly projecting stem 49 which has bearing in a nut 50 threaded in an aperture through a hori-' zontal portion 5"" of the: frame 5, the lever 48 being provided at its rear portion 'witha 1 plate 16'is interrupted through the instru mentality of a coin of suitable denomination,

notch 51, adapted toengage the rear face of a the plate 16 when the parts are in position; as shown in Fig. 2, thus-obstructing the rearward movement of the plate, and preventing the operation of the machine. jThe locking,

engagement between the notch 51 and the as will be hereinafter more fully described.

- A spring 60 extends from a fixed anchoring point 61", herein shown as a screw projecting from a bracket 62, clamped to the frame 5, r

and has its opposite end connected with the rearzportion of the lever '48, said spring normally acting to pull the rear end of said lever towards the bracket 62 to unlockthe plate 16. lThe -lever 48 is held against the unlocking movement of the SpringGO by a 1 leaf spring 27 which at one end is rigid'with the bracket 62 while its free end exten'ds trans- *vers'ely of the machine and in position to en- 1 gage a notch 72 formed in a head 71 on the lever 48. The head 71 is perforated toreceive' a rod 68 which extends therethrough and has its inner end beneath the outer end portion, of the spring 27, and in position,

when actuated through the instrumentality of a coin, to push the spring away from the notch 72 andrelease the lever 48, permitting the spring 60 to turnsaid lever about the axis 49 and unlock the plate 16 whereby the ma- 7 chine is free to be operated; 1

.The'rod68 is provided with shoulder 68 s between which and the rear face of the head 71 is a spiral spring 69, said spring surrounding the rod; The shoulder 68 is part of a metal coin receiver 73, attached to the rod 68 and movable with it, while the counterpart of the coin receiver 74 is rigid with the forwardly extending and of the V lever 48, and the coin receiving elements'73,

7 4 are providedwith a coin slot 75, formed partly in each. The coin receiving member 73 has at its rear end adownwardly extending vertically arranged abutment 55, and the plate 16 has secured thereto a'bracket .56 hav- ,ing a, horizontal'laterally extending arm 57 which extends beneath the slot 75, and serves to supportacoin.

The machine is provlded with a coin chute v58 which extends diagonally through the front wall of'the casing,-its rearend terminating immediately above the slot 75, while its front end is providedwith a coin opening 59. 0

An arm '64 is fastened to one side of the I 2 frame 5 and extends upwardly in position to limit the lateral swinging movement of the lever 48 under the influence of the spring 60. i n i V i i V A lug 78 extends upwardly from the head 71', and is provided with aperforation through which freely slides a rod 7 79', the rear end of the rod being threaded to receive one or more nuts 80 which act as abutments to engage thelug. The forward end of the rod is bent downwardly at 80 andengages an i so u aperture in a lug'81 projecting from the rear face. of the plate 16. Said rod, upon rearward movement of the plate 16 when the handle 12 is released, under the influence v of the spring 18, acts through the nut 80 and lug 78 to rotate the lever against the tension of the spring 60, until the leaf spring 27 snaps behind the shoulder 72, thus holding thelever 48 in position to lock the machine; 7

The rear end portion of the lever shown as provided with a slot 82, to receive a pin upon a crank arm 83 which operates an odometer '84, for counting the number; of operations of the machine,

V, In operation, upon the insertion of a coin of suitablev denominationinthe aperture 59, the coin will travel by gravity down the coin forms a connector between an abutment 85, formed in the rear portion of the projection 57, and a similar abutment 55, formed at the forward end of the coin slots 75 in the coin member 7 3. Pressure being now applied to the handle 12, thecoin is forced rearwardly and pushes the rod 68 through the aperture in the head 71, forcing the'free end of; the leaf spring 27 u out of engagement with the. notch 72, and permitting the spring 60 ,to swing the lever about its pivot49 and re moving the shoulder51 laterally away from the plate .16, thus unlocking the machine. Continued pressure upon the handle 12 being now exerted'by the operator, the spring-18 is compressed tothat degree which the operators strength permits andthe gripping force thus'exer'ted is registered on the dial chute 58 and thence intothe slot 75 between the coin members 73,74 and rest upon the projection'57. 'As thus 'positioned' the coin 44 by the pointer,'whichmoves aroundithe V dial and indicates the pressure in pounds thereon. After the plate 16 has been moved and the spring compressedto the limit of; the operators strength, upon release of the pressure the sprin 18 will expand, forcing the plate rearwardlyagain, and the rod- 79,,

by engagement of the nuts '80 thereon with the lug 78, rotating the lever, 48 reversely against the-tension ofthe spring 60, until the spring 27 again snaps back of the'not ch 72, thus locking the lever v48 in the position shown in Fig; 2, whichals'o is the, position where the machine is locked against operation. The parts will remain in this position until another coin of the proper denomination is inserted in the machine and the operation as above described repeated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-.

ters Patent is:

1. In a grip testing machine, a grip resisting spring, a handle for compressing said spring, a rocking lever for preventing movement of said handle, means for rotating saidlever to release said handle, detent mechanism to prevent rotation? of said lever and devices operated by pressure applied through an inserted coin for actuating said detent mechanism to release the lever.

2. A. grip testing machine comprising a movable handle, a spring whose tension is exerted to resist movement of said handle, a lever pivoted to swing into and out of position to look said handle against movement, a spring for moving said lever out of looking position, a detent for holding said lever in looking position against the tension of said spring, a coin supporting device movable with said handle, coin receiving members carried by said lever, and a rod arranged to be actuated by pressure transmitted through a coin for releasing said detent.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of March, A. D. 1928.

WILLIAM K. EDWARDS. 

